Bottle cap structure and method for making the same

ABSTRACT

A bottle cap of inverted concave shape in its cross section made of blank material of synthetic resin of high resiliency such as polyethylene or the like, wherein a horizontal, raised recess is formed on the center surface of the cap, and a bottle opening abutting channel is defined by the periphery of the cap and the wall of the recess on the backside of the cap, and projecting strips are provided integrally with the inner wall of the periphery at the base side of a tongue projecting from and secured to the periphery at right angle thereto and at the opposite side to the base on the backside of the periphery, cutout portions are formed on opposite sides of the projecting strips, said cut-out portions extending to the depth adjacent to the cap periphery, and small projecting strips encompassing the backside wall of the recess are provided.

Unite Yamada States Patent 1 [54] BOTTLE CAP STRUCTURE AND METHOD FORMAKING THE SAME [76] Inventor: Eiji Yamada, 103 2-1 Hamacho,

Nihonbashi, Chuoku, Tokyo, Japan 22 Filed: Aug.21, 1970 [21] Appl. No.:65,856

[52] U.S.Cl ..215/41,2l5/42,2l5/46 R,

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Australia ..2l5/4l Belgium ..215/42 I [11 3,722,729 [451 Mar. 27, 1973 Primary ExaminerLeonard Summer AssistantExaminer]ames R. Garrett Attorney-Polachek, Saulsbury & Hough [57]ABSTRACT A bottle cap of inverted concave shape in its cross sectionmade of blank material of synthetic resin of high resiliency such aspolyethylene or the like, wherein a horizontal, raised recess is formedon the center surface of the cap, and a bottle opening abutting channelis defined by the periphery of the cap and the wall of the recess on thebackside of the cap, and projecting strips are provided integrally withthe inner wall of the periphery at the base side of a tongue projectingfrom and secured to the periphery at right angle thereto and at theopposite side to the base on the backside of the periphery, cut-outportions are formed on opposite sides of the projecting strips, saidcut-out portions extending to the depth adjacent to the cap periphery,and small projecting strips encompassing the backside wall of the recessare provided.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures PATHHEUMmmm 3,722,729

INVENTOR EIJI YAMADA ATTORNEYS BOTTLE CAP STRUCTURE AND METHOD FORMAKING THE SAME This invention relates to a bottle cap structure and amethod for making the same. An object of this invention is to provide abottle cap wherein in securing the cap onto the bottle the cap can befitted into an abutting channel on the bottle opening by merelydepressing the cap from the above, to thereby securely sealing thebottle opening, and in removing the cap, the cap can easily bedisengaged from the bottle opening by merely pushing up a tongue whichprojects beyond peripheral edge.

This invention intends to improve a method for massproducing bottle capssimply andeconomically, which bottle caps have superiority toconventional bottle caps in their ability of attaching and removingoperations, by providing a bottle opening abutting channel defined by awall of a recess formed on the center surface of the cap having aninverted concave shape in its periphery and the periphery of the cap, onthe backside of the cap periphery, forming projecting strips integrallywith the inner wall of the periphery'on the inner wall on the peripheryside of said channel at the projecting tongue and at the opposite sidethereto, and providing small projecting strips encompassing the innertop carrying the backside upper corner of the recess and the side wallof the recess of the bottle opening abutting channel.

The prior art cap of this type has been manufactured by stamping thinmetal plate and forming plait skirt and having cork or other suitablepacking material applied on its back surface, or has been a simpleconstruction made of synthetic resin or other light material Both ofthese prior art bottle caps have inherent disadvantage in using them. Onthe contrary, in the present invention, the above shortcomings aresubstantially eliminated by providing special projecting strips at theposition to which the bottle opening is engaged, and also providing aplurality of cut-out portions on the periphery of the cap, to improvethe removing operation and the engagement of the cap with the bottleopening.

This invention also intends to make smoother and easier the cap removaloperation from the bottle opening, by securing a tongue at a portion ofthe cap periphery, which tongue projecting from the periphery and is tobe used in the cap removal operation.

The present invention further intends to massproduce bottle caps whichare beautiful in their design, simple instructure and less expensive.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this invention:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bottle cap in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line A--A ofFIG.l; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cap.

As compared to the claim, for improved clarity of understanding, theinvention may be defined as: a circular planar central panel 4; a firstcylindrical wall 7 having top and bottom ends, said bottom end beingcircumferentially joined to said central panel, and said wall extendingsubstantially perpendicularly upwardly from said panel; an annularmember 6 having inner and second outer peripheries, the inner peripheryof same being integrally joined to the top end 5 of the said cylindricalwall 7 and extending radially outwardly therefrom; a second cylindricalupright wall 8 having top and bottom edges, the top edge of some beingintegrally joined to the outer periphery of said annular member and saidupright wall 8 extending downwardly from said annular member andterminating at a location spaced below the plane of said central panel;and a planar radially outwardly extending tongue 11 integrally joined tothe second cylindrical wall at its bottom edge 9', said first and secondcylindrical walls 7 and 8 and said annular member 6 together forming abottlemouth receiving channel 10; said first cylindrical wall 7 havingan integral radially outwardly'projecting sealing rib 17 disposed inspaced parallel relationship to said annular member and extending aboutthe full interior circumference of said wall 7; said annular memberhaving a continuous downwardly projecting sealing rib 16 disposed inparallel spaced relationship to both of said first and secondcylindrical walls 7 and 8; said second cylindrical wall 8 having innerand outer surfaces and having integral radially inwardly projectinglocking ribs 12 and 13 disposed circumferentially on the inner surfacein a plane parallel to and spaced from both said annular member and thebottom edge 9 of said second cylindrical wall, one, 13, of said lockingribs being disposed with its longitudinal center diametrically oppositethe center of said tongue with said locking rib extending substantiallyalong the inner surface of the second cylindrical wall, and the other,12, of said locking ribs being disposed on the portion of the secondcylindrical wall 8 adjacent said tongue with its terminal ends disposedsubstantially symmetrically relative to the side edges of said tongueand with said ends horizontally spaced less than the horizontal spacebetween said edges; and said second cylindrical wall being provided onits inner surface with an axially-extending groove 14 or 15 at eachterminal end of the locking ribs with each said groove extending fromthe bottom face of the annular member to the bottom edge 9 of the secondcylindrical wall 8.

In attaching the bottle cap of this invention onto the bottle neck 18,the cap is positioned at the bottle opening and depressed from above.The bottle neck 18 is then fitted into the bottle-mouth receivingchannel 10.

The recess 20 defined by outer encompassing portion 19 of the bottleneck 18 is fitted to the projecting strips 12,13 of the cap, and the topand the inner side adjacent to the inner corner of the bottle neck 18are compressed by the small projecting strips 16,17 so that the bottleneck 18 is closelyfitted into the bottle-mouth receiving channel 10 ofthe cap to provide airtight sealing. In removing the cap from the bottleneck 18, the tongue 11 is pushed upwardly to break the cap peripherylongitudinally at the cut-out portions 14, 14 of the base of the tongue,so that the air can flow into the bottle. By further pushing up thetongue the cap periphery 8 is further broken at the cut-out portions l5,15 on both sides of the projecting strip 17. Thus, the cap is completelyremoved from the bottle neck 18.

What is claimed is:

l. A bottle cap structure comprising a circular planar central panel; afirst cylindrical wall having top and bottom ends, said bottom end beingcirc'umferentially joined to said central panel, and said wall extendinguprightly upwardly from said panel; an annular member having inner andsecond outer peripheries, the inner periphery being integrally joined tothe top end of the said cylindrical wall and extending radiallyoutwardly therefrom; a second cylindrical upright wall having top andbottom edges, said top edge of said second cylindrical wall beingintegrally joined at said top edge to the second outer periphery of saidannular member and said upright wall extending downwardly from saidannular member and terminating at'a location spaced below the plane ofsaid central panel; and a planar radially outwardly extending tongueintegrally joined to the second cylindrical wall at its bottom edge;

walls; said second cylindrical wall having inner and I outer surfacesand having integral radially inwardly projecting locking ribs disposedcircumferentially on the inner surface in a plane parallel to and spacedfrom both said annular member and the bottom edge of said secondcylindrical wall, one of said locking ribs being disposed with itslongitudinal center diametrically opposite the center of said tonguewith said locking rib extending substantially along the inner surface ofthe second cylindrical wall, and the other of said locking ribs beingdisposed on the portion of the second cylindrical wall adjacent saidtongue with its terminal ends disposed substantially symmetricallyrelative to the side edges of said tongue and with said endshorizontally spaced less than the horizontal space of said edges; andsaid second cylindrical wall being provided on its inner surface with anaxially-extending groove at each terminal end of the locking ribs witheach said groove extending from the bottom face of the annular member tothe bottom edge of the second cylindrical wall.

1. A bottle cap structure comprising a circular planar central panel; afirst cylindrical wall having top and bottom ends, said bottom end beingcircumferentially joined to said centraL panel, and said wall extendinguprightly upwardly from said panel; an annular member having inner andsecond outer peripheries, the inner periphery being integrally joined tothe top end of the said cylindrical wall and extending radiallyoutwardly therefrom; a second cylindrical upright wall having top andbottom edges, said top edge of said second cylindrical wall beingintegrally joined at said top edge to the second outer periphery of saidannular member and said upright wall extending downwardly from saidannular member and terminating at a location spaced below the plane ofsaid central panel; and a planar radially outwardly extending tongueintegrally joined to the second cylindrical wall at its bottom edge;said first and second cylindrical walls and said annular member togetherforming a bottle-mouth receivingchannel; said first cylindrical wallhaving an integral radially outwardly projecting sealing rib disposed inspaced parallel relationship to said annular member and extending aboutthe full circumference of said wall; said annular member having acontinuous downwardly projecting sealing rib disposed in parallel spacedrelationship to both of said first and second cylindrical walls; saidsecond cylindrical wall having inner and outer surfaces and havingintegral radially inwardly projecting locking ribs disposedcircumferentially on the inner surface in a plane parallel to and spacedfrom both said annular member and the bottom edge of said secondcylindrical wall, one of said locking ribs being disposed with itslongitudinal center diametrically opposite the center of said tonguewith said locking rib extending substantially 180* along the innersurface of the second cylindrical wall, and the other of said lockingribs being disposed on the portion of the second cylindrical walladjacent said tongue with its terminal ends disposed substantiallysymmetrically relative to the side edges of said tongue and with saidends horizontally spaced less than the horizontal space of said edges;and said second cylindrical wall being provided on its inner surfacewith an axially-extending groove at each terminal end of the lockingribs with each said groove extending from the bottom face of the annularmember to the bottom edge of the second cylindrical wall.